The Political Career of Frank Klees, RIP

McGuinty must be giddy:

“There’s no doubt it makes it more challenging for both opposition parties,” a grim-faced Hudak acknowledged, portraying his former leadership rival Klees as a turncoat who ignored an edict that no Tory would vie to succeed retiring Speaker Steve Peters.

“Clearly, I’m disappointed. We all hoped Frank’s first goal would be to help us on the opposition benches in keeping this government on a short leash . . . Frank’s made a decision and Frank is Frank.”(link)

I don't quite know what Frank is thinking. This makes no strategic sense Klees. Not for his career or for his agenda.

The only thing I think, is that Frank has chosen suicide. He's 60 years old. He must figure he can't wait out another PC leader for his shot. That's a bleak assessment - but I can't help but come to that conclusion.

Liberal Tobacco Hypocrites

The Anti-Tobacco Liberals are apparently not so much so when the end justifies the means:

“I have done crazy things,” Holland says in the audio recording. “Like...and if anyone repeats this I’ll deny it (until) the cows come home...I have gone to a shelter in the riding of St. Paul’s with a carton of smokes and said, ‘I’ll give you them after you vote.” I have done that...but they were already smokers...”(link)

Apparently this comment, according to Holland, was a joke. By the way this isn't her just denying it until "the cows come home."

People should be able to smoke whatever the hell they want so long as they don't harm others. The Ontario Fiberals should back off. Good luck on getting that from "Premier Dad." He'd rather ground us if we eat what we shouldn't, play where it's dangerous, and smoke what he'd rather not - and don't worry he'll make sure we make the right decisions on who to vote for - even if he has to exploit us in the process.

Update...

Holland has resigned, after making her fake confession.

The Liberals are now jumping on the offensive accusing Hudak of having ties to big Tobacco... I kid you not. You can't make this stuff up.

If you're going to make an apology, make it right or don't make it at all.

Education Inflation

“Undergraduate education is almost the equivalent of what a high-school degree used to be – almost everyone goes to university,” she said.

(...)

Mr. Steele thinks “students are being oversold on the idea of university, and some people are going purely out of a desire to earn a bump in income.”(link)

I bet McGuinty doesn't want many people reading this.

All of sudden cheaper tuition, more universities, and the "Education Premier" don't seem so useful anymore.

McGuinty: The Government Slasher

OPSEU announced on its central website Friday it was launching a “mini site” to fight the Dalton McGuinty government’s plan to shrink the public service.

“Starting this summer, Premier Dalton McGuinty will eliminate 1,900 vital public service jobs,” the OPSEU website says. (link)

Back in January, I postulated that McGuinty's government would be at the forefront of most of the labor unrest that this year of Austerity is unleashing.

I've been surprised at just how much attention the unions have been placing in Ottawa - a government that is by all indications depending on expiring infrastructure projects, attrition, and retirements to both reduce expenses, the public service and so balance the budget.

McGuinty is depending heavily on laying off members of the OPS to get where his government should have been a long time ago. What's worse is that McGuinty is probably having to do more cutbacks to fund the disastrous policies elsewhere in government currently eating away at funds.

Yet where is DePape holding up a "Stop McGuinty" sign? Where is "Working Families" coming out swinging against the horrible slash-and-cut McGuinty?

Their silence speaks volumes.

Just as Mike Harris's education policies in Ontario were actually borrowed from an Education commission started by the Bob Rae NDP, McGuinty is borrowing ideas from his right wing counterparts like Harper and Brad Wall to do what clearly needs to be done. Except that due to the blind partisanship of this country's Public Secotr Unions, he clearly is not facing the same level of "mob warfare" we've come to expect from the Canadian left.